Stamp-affixer.



W. J. B'ALKWILL.

STAMP AFFIXER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.27. 19x5.

a: ff/

Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR i Zak A TTOR/VEYS w. 1. BALKWIILL,

STAMP AFFIXER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-21.1915.

1,240,808. Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

2SHEETSSHEET 2- INVENTOR Weslgg JFaZ/ZI/JLZZ I 7 UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

WESLEY J. BALKWILL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MULTIPORT COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 011 NEW YORK.

STAMP-AFFIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

Application filed September 27, 1915. Serial No. 52,885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY J. BALKWILL, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp- Affixers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings,fforming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to machines adapted to be employed for affixing stamps or labels to pieces of mail matter or other articles in which successive stamps or labels are fed out of the machine, and it has for its object to provide an improved arrangement of counter or register actuating mechanism whereby an accurate count of the number of stamps or labels discharged may be obtained.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for increasing the frictional contact between each of a pair of frictional rollers and a stamp strip passing between the rollers. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an enlarged view shown partly in section, embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear face view of the guide through which the stamps or labels are fed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the stamp case, showing the guideway removed to expose the side thereof which faces the feeding mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line aa of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the clamping member through which stamps or labels are fed, and y Y Fig. 6 is a horizontal view of the same.

Similar reference numerals through the several views indicate the same parts.

In stamp or label afiixing machines where the stamps or labels are to be delivered successively from a continuous strip which is supplied to the machinein the form of a roll, it is very necessary to keep an accurate record of the number of stamps and labels used and especially of postage stamps, because of their monetary value. The device by which such a record is obtained must be incapable of having its counter or registering mechanism operated except when in proper engagement to be actuated directly by the stamp or label strip as the same is fed for wardly by the feeding mechanism.

The present embodiment of the invention is adapted to accomplish this result and the machine is constructed in such a way that in the event of any inaccuracy occurring in the operation of the stamp or label feeding mechanism, whereby the strips are not advanced, no movement will be imparted to the counter mechanism and consequently no record made.

In illustrating the features of the present invention I have shown them applied to a stamp affixing machine of commercial form comprising a base 1 supporting a frame 2 in which is uided a vertically reciprocating shaft or p unger 3 carrying an affixing head 4.

At one side of the machine the frame 2 is open and removably fitted in said opening is a circular stamp or label case 5 containing a roll of stamps or labels 6 shown passing downwardly through the guideway consisting of the backing 7 and the removable clamping member 8, terminating in laterally curved portions 9 and 10 respectively, which are adapted to direct the free end of the stamp strip over the cutting edge 11 and into the path of the affixing head or member 4:. The stamp strip is fed forwardly and successively by a suitable feeding mechanism carried on the shaft or plunger 3 and in the present instance comprises feeding fingers 12, the pointed ends of which, are adapted to engage the perforations between the successive stamps during their downward movement.

A counter mechanism 13 is indicated, which may be of any desired construction and arranged on the frame of the machine, but is preferably mounted on the detachable stamp case, the window portion or front 14: projecting through an aperture in the outer wall 15 of the casing, so that the numeral. wheels of the counter may be con veniently viewed and their operation observed. The counter is preferably connected to a yoke 16- which is secured to the sides of the casing in the manner shown in Fig. a. The construction of the mechanism of the counter has. been omitted, but it will be understood that the numeral wheels and devices for operating them are driven :by a central shaft 17 which carries a pinion 18 meshing with a gearwheel 19 preferably j ournaled in one side of the casing, as shown in Fig. 4. The gear wheel 19 is adapted to be driven by a pinion 20 preferably secured on the end of a friction roller 21 j our: naled in the sides of the casing supporting the stamp roll. The friction rollerv 21 is so disposed as to extend throu h an aperture formed between the bottom 0%the cylindrical casing 5 and the top of the backing 7 as shown in .Fig. .1 and is arranged to contact with the stamp strip passing through the guideway. This roller and the gear wheel 19 and pinions 18 and 20 are proportioned so that the mechanism of the counter 13 will be actuated once for each complete stamp fed through the guideway.

The clamping or detention member for preventing the withdrawal of the stamp strip by a force applied to its free end comprises means for mounting said member whereby itmay be conveniently removed to facilitate the insertion of the stamp strip. The removable clamping member is'disposed in front of the guideway 7 between the side walls 22 of the casingand comprises the plate 23in which is: formed an aperture 24 through which the feeding fingers 12 project,

' said plate having at its lower end the curved portion 10 cooperating with the curved part 9 of the backing as previously. stated, to guide the stamp strip across the cutting edge 11. At its upper end the top of the plate is bent forming the somewhat angular portion 25 providing fulcrum; points 26 around which the clamping member rotates in the event its lower end is displaced relatively to the guide, as occurs when thefree end of the stamp strip is drawn forwardly. The clamping member also comprises the lateral extensions 27 lying within the Walls 22 to which they are pivoted and on which they have a relative sliding movement. This. form of construction is afforded by reason of the, elongated slots 28 accommodating the securing devices which enter apertures in the walls 22. The securing devices in the present instance consist of the laterally projecting horizontal ends 29 of a u shaped member 30 attached to the clamping mem, her by means of the ears 31 at, the bottom thereof. In forming the parts just described, I have shown on the U-shaped mem- 1 her 30outwardly curving loops which extend beyond the edges of the side walls 22 and lateral extensions 27 to afford means whereby the member may be conveniently gripped by the operators fingers, so that he may simultaneously retract the projecting ends 29 and thus release the clamping member and remove it from the guideway.

The clamping member is caused'to normally exert a slight frictional contact with thestamp strip and to this end there is applied to each side of the member a spring 33 held in position at one end by an up standing lug 34 on the lateral extension 27 and having an end 35 secured beneath a lug 36 and another vend .37 provided with an eye 38. wrapped around and adapted to bear against the horizontal end 29 of theU- shaped member 30.

By this arrangement the opposite extremities of the spring are adapted to yield. ingly hold the clamping member in enga ment with the stamp strip upon the backing 7 of the guideway. The clamping. member beingthus yielding'ly held will, when dis-. I

placed at its lower end, rotate about the points26 by reason of the movement afionded'by the slots 28. and any additional tension under such circumstances is imparted to, the spring 33 so that the greater the strain applied to the lower-end of the stamp strip the greater becomes the clamping action between the upper end, of the plate 23 and thebacking 7 of the guideway. In order to insure adriving contact between the roller 21 and the stamp strip, the latter isl held in contact with the former by means of auspring pressed. frictional roller 39 mounted slightly above and over the roller;

'21,. thereby defiecting the stamp strip and:

increasin the frictional contact between,- each of t e rollers and the strip as clearly" shown in F ig. 1.

The frictioniroller 39 is provided with projecting ends 40 from which extend re.-.

duced bearingsdl adapted to be positioned in elongated apertures 42 and 43' at the top of the lateral extensions 27; The aperture 43 is enlarged as shown in Fig. ,5 in order to permit of the insertion andremoval; of thefrictional roller from the clamping member by slipping one of the ends 40intq the enlarged aperture so that the opposite 11educed bearing 41 may be positioned in 0!:

removed from the aperture 42. As a means.

for holding the friction roller 39 in a yield-w ing and driving engagement with the stamp strip, I preferably continue the end 37 of the-spring 33tupwardly' from the eye 38 through a holding lug 44 on the angular. portion of the clamping member to form a.

spring 15 having its free end beari against the projecting end 40 of the. roller. as cleanly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A floating shear or knife member -16 movably mounted on theaffixing head 4 is adapt? ed to cooperate with the cutting edge'll on.

the downward stroke of the plunger to sever the individual stamps from the strip as the same are fed forwardly by the fingers 12.

stamp strip through said guideway, and a yieldingly mounted frictional roller in en-' gagement with the stamp strip for the purpose of deflecting the same with respect to the guideway.

2. In a stamp afliXer, the combination with a stamp guideway comprising a backing and a removable clamping member, of an affixing member and devices for feeding a stamp strip through said guideway, a friction roller mounted on one side of the stamp strip in engagement therewith, and a yieldingly mounted frictional roller on the opposite side of the stamp strip arranged slightly above the first mentioned roller whereby the strip is deflected with respect to the first mentioned roller to increase the frictional contact between the rollers and the strip.

In a stamp afiixer, the combination with a stamp guideway comprising a backing and a removable clamping member, of an affixing member and devices for feeding a stamp strip through said guideway, of a counter mechanism, a friction roller engaging one side of the stamp strip, gear wheels connecting the roller with the counter mechanism for operating the same, and a yieldingly mounted frictional roller on the opposite side of the stamp strip positioned slightly above the first mentioned roller for the purpose of deflecting the strip to increase the frictional contact between each of said rollers and said strip.

4. In a stamp aflixer, the combination with a stamp guideway comprising a backing and a movable clamping member having spaced lateral extensions thereon extending above said guideway each provided with an aperture, an afliXing member, and devices for feeding a stamp strip through said guideway, a friction roller engaging one side of the stamp strip above the guideway, and a friction roller on the opposite side of the stamp strip yieldingly mounted in the apertures and adapted to deflect the strip with respect to the first mentioned roller for the purpose of increasing the frictional contact between said strip and said rollers.

IVESLEY J. BALKWILL.

W itnesses G. WVILLIARD R1011,

HARRIET T. VAY.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl. Washinzton, 2D. 0. 

